An exhaust system (also known as exhaust) is comprised of the components exhaust pipes and exhaust boxes (also known as exhaust chambers). Exhaust pipes include, for instance, manifold, Y-pipe, connecting pipe and tail pipe, which may also be provided in plurality. Exhaust boxes include, for instance, mufflers and catalytic converters, which may also be provided in plurality.
Exhaust systems are usually mounted to a vehicle's underbody. The mounting has to compensate for any change in the length of the exhaust system due to temperature expansion at different temperatures. The mounting also has to be effected in a way that the exhaust system will remain stationary with respect to the vehicle's underbody when exposed to vibrations and shocks of the vehicle.
Exhaust systems are usually mounted on a vehicle's underbody by using several suspension points provided at the vehicle's underbody on which O-rings are attached. Corresponding suspension points provided at the exhaust system are inserted into the O-rings. That type of mounting of the exhaust system on the underbody of vehicles quite evidently has a considerable play allowing for the exhaust system to move relative to the vehicle. Traditionally, the suspension points have the form of simple hooks.
Present-day vehicles quite often have covers through which the exhaust system's at least one tail pipe passes. With present-day vehicles, the play resulting from using O-rings mounted in hooks is therefore often no longer tolerable.
It is known to replace simple O-rings by exhaust system rubbers having a solid body with two or more openings formed therein. The openings penetrate the body normally in a way that the hole normals (normal to the plane in which the hole defined by an opening is located) of the openings are parallel. Respective exhaust system rubbers are often made from rubber, silicone or fluoroelastomers. The body of the exhaust system rubbers often has an oval, rhombic, rectangular or even a shamrock like contour and (apart from the openings and the rounding of the edges) a constant thickness.
When using exhaust rubbers, barbed mounting mandrels often form the suspension points, with mounting mandrels fixed to the underbody of the vehicle and to the exhaust system penetrating different openings of the same exhaust system rubbers in pairs. The openings of the exhaust system rubbers are often circular, oval or arched.
When decreasing the play tolerated between the exhaust system and the vehicle's underbody, the accuracy of the arrangement and alignment of the suspension points at the underbody of the vehicle and the components of the exhaust system becomes more important.